Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Preview

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Zombies invade the wild west.

By David Clayman

We're not used to seeing Rockstar show up with their latest to trade shows, but at the frantic New York Comic-Con, we got a chance to check out the latest downloadable add-on for Red Dead Redemption. The Undead Nightmare is a stand-alone story in Red Dead, and we got a small taste of the zombie combat found in the download.

The demo started in a graveyard with instructions that Marston should burn a number of wooden coffins spread among the gravestones. As I torched the first box, the undead began climbing out of the earth around me. The first few zombies were easy kills, even though you have to blast them in the head to take them out permanently. But once there was a good crowd of corpses coming at me things became more difficult.

The undead in Red Dead aren't the shambling, slow moving creatures from some zombie flicks you might have seen. Some of them can move incredibly quickly, especially the variant that runs on all fours like dogs. There are also giant fat zombies with axes protruding from their decaying bodies and women who spit bile at you from a distance.

My combat tactic was to light a coffin on fire and lead the zombies toward it to light them up as well. Then, I'd move in close for the animated execution attack that allows players to quickly blow zombie heads off.

Rockstar mentioned that the graveyards like the ones we were in are a bit like bandit hideouts from the main game. Players have to clear each graveyard to complete the area. Ridding a graveyard of the undead will lower the overall zombie population in that area, and it rids the permanent dark and stormy weather that hangs over the zombie infested areas.

The dead walk!

We'll be bringing you a lot more information on this add-on in the near future.